Manufacturers often handle a large number of electronic components when assembling electronic devices. These electronic components can be susceptible to damage, especially during printed circuit board manufacturing processes, as a result of prolonged exposure to environments having high ambient moisture content. Ambient moisture can penetrate the bodies of moisture sensitive components and become trapped. During certain manufacturing processes, such as reflow, these electronic components are exposed to high temperatures. The high temperatures can cause the trapped moisture to expand and can damage the electronic components.
To minimize the occurrence of such damage, electronic components can be baked at elevated temperatures to remove at least some of the trapped moisture prior to reflow or exposure to other high temperatures.
In one broad aspect, a method is disclosed of monitoring an environmental condition associated with a container containing a set of electronic components. The method includes attaching a moisture recorder to the container, the moisture recorder having a sensing element responsive to atmospheric moisture content, a memory storage device, and a processor electrically coupled to the sensing element and to the memory storage device. The processor is configured to periodically receive information from the sensing element indicative of atmospheric moisture content and to store data in the memory storage device based on the received information.
In second broad aspect, a method is disclosed of evaluating a set of identical electronic components prior to installing the components into electronic assemblies. The method includes collecting data indicative of an environmental condition associated with the electronic components during multiple consecutive periods of time prior to installing the electronic components from the set into the electronic assemblies, storing the collected data and evaluating whether the electronic components are suitable for installation based on an estimated cumulative effect of exposure to the environmental condition based on the stored data.
In another broad aspect, a container of electronic components to be installed into electronic assemblies is disclosed that includes a storage device containing a set of electronic to components and an environmental condition recorder coupled to the storage device and associated with the set of electronic components. The environmental condition recorder includes sensing elements responsive to an ambient environmental condition, a processor and an associated memory storage device. The processor is configured to receive data from the sensing elements indicative of the ambient environmental condition during multiple, successive periods of time, to cumulatively and accessibly store the data in the associated memory storage device and to evaluate whether the electronic components are suitable for installation based on a cumulative effect of exposure to the ambient environmental condition.
In yet another broad aspect, a system is disclosed for evaluating a set of identical electronic components prior to installing the components into electronic assemblies. The system includes a storage device containing a set of identical electronic components, an environmental condition recorder coupled to the storage device and associated with the set of identical electronic components and a remote device comprising a processor and a memory storage unit. The environmental condition recorder is configured to collect data indicative of an environmental condition over multiple, successive periods of time and the processor is configured to receive the collected data from the environmental condition recorder and to evaluate whether the electronic components are suitable for installation based on the collected data.
In another broad aspect an article is disclosed that includes a computer-readable medium that stores computer executable instructions for causing a computer system to evaluate whether a set of electronic components are suitable for installation based on received time-based data representative of ambient moisture content associated with the set of electronic components.
In some implementations one or more of the following advantages may be present. The frequency of electronic component damage due to the expansion of trapped moisture during reflow and other manufacturing processes can be minimized. This can result in improved reliability of both electronic components and electronic assemblies.
An increase of available component historical data can enable users to make better informed decisions regarding whether to dry out electronic components prior to reflow. Consequently, the frequency of unnecessary baking can be decreased.
A better understanding of quality control management techniques can be developed and a subsequent manufacturing cost savings can be realized through improvements in manufacturing process efficiency.
Additionally, the collecting and interpreting of environmental data associated with electronic components prior to installation into an electronic assembly can be simplified.
Other features and advantages will be readily apparent from the following detailed description, the accompanying drawings and the claims.